Quest Level: Complete!!!!

As of January 8, 2012, Melissa Aleman is officially a marathoner! Woohoo!

Guess now it's official!

Crossing the line

I got the Mickey bling!

So, this post is ONLY 8 months late, but hey, I'm lazy and got so focused on the race I just didn't want to write anymore.

But for my one fans, here's what happened from last post (11/12/11. 20-miler) to race (1/8/12):

During the month of November, I got injured. Badly. The "shin splints" turned out to be something more, but I still to this day don't know what the problem was. I was still running, albeit painfully, taping my legs and wearing my compression socks for stability. I started doing physical therapy for my knee, which somewhat helped, but not enough where I wasn't nervous every day about the race creeping up on me. I can't remember what little runs I did in the meantime. I'm sure it was like a 10 miler, 12 miler, and some 5-ers during the week. Too long ago, man!

Thanksgiving 2011

I ran the Dana Point Turkey Trot 10k! Super fun. I went pretty all-out, averaging 8-min miles (what's unbelievable? My high school times were between 7-7:30-min miles. Good grief).

Overall:	840 out of 3632
Women:	235 out of 1932
F 25-29:	41 out of 293
Age/Grade:	60.89% Place: 881
Finish:	49:50 Pace: 8:02
Tag Time:	49:50
Gun Time:	58:32

Not bad, if I do say so myself. I remember feeling really good the first 3 miles (my first two miles were UNDER 8-min pace!), but my injury popped up during the last 3 miles. It was a good way to gauge the limit of my mile times. Plus, my parents ran the 5k and it was a fun morning for everyone.

December 3, 2011

This was the worst run I have ever done. I ran my longest training run - 22 miles - on the Santa Ana Trail. Santa Ana Trail was perfect since I could start at the 12 mile mark, run to the 1 mile mark (11 miles) and turn around and head back. Easy peasy? Not so much.

I started really strong. First 11 miles were no sweat - I felt strong and confident, legs and knee only a slight twinge of pain. Then I turned around. It got a bit more difficult. My mile times were slowing down substantially. I hit rock bottom 5 miles from the finish - mile 17. My leg was hurting and my lungs were just exhausted. I kept telling myself to just go slower, keep running. When I hit 3 miles left, I was like, "Come on... only a 5k! You can do this!" Pretty sure tears started at that point. My final 3 miles were about 11-min miles. When I finally crossed the mark, I cried and cried... and cried some more. I walked hunched over for about a half-mile back to my car. I took 30 minutes to cool down and recover. I was so proud of myself for doing it, but very disappointed about how I finished. If I could barely handle 22 miles, how could I possibly add 4 more??? I felt like it was an impossible task and I set myself up for failure.

At home, I tortured myself with every runner's favorite remedy... ICE BATH!

Brrrrrr... clearly the ice had already melted

But it was all OK when, while I was in pain in the bathtub, Lisa texted me the image of her engagement ring because Sky had finally proposed the night before! Weeeeeee!!!

December 2011

The rest of the month was spent doing runs less than 10 miles. I planned on taking the week before the race off completely, since my legs were still very injured. It was at the point where I had to force myself out on the pavement and just run through the pain because I knew I didn't have a choice - I was running on Jan 8!!

The rest DID help a bit. By the time it was flying day, I was a bit more confident with my injury. 

January 8, 2012 - RACE DAY!!!

What an insane morning. I only got about 4-5 hours of sleep. I tried to fall asleep by 8pm but my head was spinning with nerves (obviously). I had everything laid out ready to go in the order I needed it so when the alarm went off at 2:10 am (true story), I was like a machine.Sports bra, check. Shorts, check. Tank top, check. KS Tape, check. Sport tape whole bottom leg, check. Compression socks, check. Sweats, check. Backpack with after-race crap, check. I toasted my whole-wheat toast and grabbed my peanut butter (my go-to pre-run breakfast) and headed out to the bus. When we got to Epcot, I headed into the special tent for the race retreat people (totally worth it for the separate bathrooms!). They said you had to be at the line by 5:00 am (gun goes off for elite at 5:30), so here's what I remember about all that:

• Gave Mum and Precious a goodbye/good luck hug about an hour before I started running. Ate my toast, took off my sweats, packed my Sharkies, iPod, and lip balm, and gave them my stuff. At this point, adrenaline had started. "Holy shit, I'm actually running 26.2 miles today."
• I hit the bathrooms at the main area and saw a guy drink an entire glass bottle of pickle juice. Hope that worked for him.
• The route to the starting line was seriously like 2 miles away. I walked for at least 30 minutes. We were like cattle. It was torture. "Just get me there, I'm so nervous and excited, come on!!!"
• I hit every single porta-potty stop on the trek. I wasn't taking ANY chances. I think final tally was 4 bathroom stops from when I arrived at Epcot to the starting line.
• I remember trying to find corral C. It was far up from where you end up after the trek. I think elite had just gone off by the time I found a spot in C.
• Counting down the minutes was crazy. 4 minutes til C! 2 minutes! Holy shit!

It would be impossible to write what I was feeling the entire race (and not just because I waited 8 months to write about it). Here are HIGHLIGHTS!

• Miles 1-3 were slow and tight. So. Many. People. The first 4 miles ran through Epcot.
• My strongest miles were 5-12. Pace was very good and I felt amazing.
• My top highlight (other than finishing) was seeing my family around mile 10 through the Magic Kingdom on Main Street. Coming into MK at mile 9, I knew I had to look out for them. I still can't believe I found them immediately. Scott filmed me and I was able to say hi. That pushed me through the next 3 miles, easy.

• Oh man... Mile 13. Ugh. Aren't you supposed to hit the wall at mile 20? This was the beginning of the end. I felt it come on between 13 and 16. These 3 miles took us in the backwoods of the WDW area. No real scenery, no parks, just sunshine, heat, and a never-ending road. I vividly remember yelling out loud at Mile 16, "ONLY 10 MILES LEFT!!!!!!"
• Miles 17-19 went around Animal Kingdom, which was a quick pick-me-up. It was shadier and I loved running past Expedition Everest thinking, "Yes, I will ride you later."

• 

  Still able to mug at Mile 18 - Everest in background

• Here's where the wall really hit me. Mile 20. There was a horrible part where you ran for like a mile straight only to turn around and come right back the same way. You're looking at all these people ahead of you running on by and all I could think was, "No fair! I wanna be where you are!" After the out-and-back, you head into Hollywood Studios. It was VERY hot by this point - no shade on the road up to the park.
• I remember running the pathway from Hollywood Studios to Epcot. There were lots of spectators and cheerleaders so it wasn't so bad. Those were miles 23-24. I knew as soon as I headed in Epcot it was SO CLOSE to being over.
• The last major thing I remember is seeing the sign for Mile 26. That came right after running backstage before you hit Mexico.You turn a corner and there is the throng of spectators - the bleachers, the long straightaway, and the FINISH banner. Pretty amazing feeling. 

I found my family not too long after finishing. I was pretty emotional. I called Daddy and told him I finished. I think I heard him tear up!

So, even though I was 13 minutes over my goal time of 4:15:00, I finished with my other 3 goals still in tact: No Stopping, No Walking, Finish in under 4:30:00. :)

And yes, I probably WILL run another one. Who wants to do the Goofy Race-and-a-Half Challenge with me? Half Marathon Saturday, Full Marathon Sunday? Come one, people! And by people, I mean Lisa. It's the top bragging right of the WDW Marathon weekend! 

Next Up: Disneyland Half Marathon, Sept 2, 2012.

Damn, I better start training.

But my legs hurt...

20 miles done and 53 Days Until Competition... WTF!!!

Where did the time go? My first post had race day at like 200 days. Now I only have 53 until the starter gun goes off. Hooooly crap!!!

FITNESS NEWS
Whilst using the cable cross machine (one of my all-time faves and can I just say that men dominate this machine and as soon as I see it open, I pounce, and usually I am asked within 5 minutes by a male when I'm going to be finished. Excuse me, how about I add another set to my 10-to-1 just to make you wait longer?), I was accosted mid-rep by a very built young man who says the following: 1) he was watching me 2) he thinks I have great potential 3) he wants to train me. Now, potential for what, I have no idea (ooh can you see me as a fitness model?). Anyway, he offered me a free session to check him out. So I did. Here's what we found out:

Starting Measurements:
Weight: 130 lbs
Waist: 26 in
Hips: 34 in
Thighs: 20.5 in (holy shit!)
Body fat: 19%
My goals: 14-15% body fat, lose lower belly fat and trim thighs, all-around top fitness level possible for the race in January

He had me do full body, mostly using harness suspension moves. Never done that before (by the way, EFF suspended mountain climbers! no no no no no no no). I am sore all over. Thank god - I have a hard time making my body sore anymore. That means whatever he's gonna do is going to work. I will be training with him 2 days a week, adding one weekend session on low-mileage-run weekends. So there we go. We are on the road, people!

Now then... segway in to my LONGEST RUN EVERRRRR!
I am sore as hell from that workout yesterday but I had to run this weekend because I was forced to skip the long run last weekend due to shin splints. I HATE YOU SHIN SPLINTS!! (I didn't run for 5 days straight, healing them up and icing them everyday. They are much better.)

START TIME: 5:30-ish; END TIME: 9:37
FINAL RUN TIME: 3 hours, 27 minutes
NUMBER OF STOPS: 2 bathroom, 2 wrong-way trail mishaps =/

ROUTE
I wanted to do another new route because I get bored so easily PLUS it was imperative to run a route with minimal concrete sidewalk - due to the splints. Jennifer at work told me about the Aliso Creek bike trail, so I looked it up and it's 18 miles from beginning to end. Too long, but I was able to map it from my work location up 10 miles and do an out-and-back for a total of 20 miles. From Aliso Creek Rd to Portola/Santa Margarita Pkway and back. The main trail is asphalt, but on the satellite map I saw plenty of dirt on both sides so I figured it was a good bet.

WEATHER
Um, hi rain. You aren't welcome, go away. I don't usually run in the rain - who needs MORE water weight to carry around while running? - but I was absolutely determined to run this weekend so I got me some cold-weather running gear and prepared for the worst. I was lucky though - only a light mist miles 11-12. Other than that, weather was perfect. Perfect temp (chilly but not cold, moist so my throat was never dry, no wind), Only problem was the damp dirt - mud - from last night's rain. I had to run on asphalt more than I would've liked.

STRATEGY
Run 1 minute slower than usual pace to make sure I could finish the whole thing, no stopping, no walking, no pain, no problem!

RUN "WINS"
WIN #1: No Fear! Woooooooooooooo!
WIN #2: No shin splint pain
WIN #3: Felt pretty good the majority of the run - able to smile and say hi to all passers-by, no breathing problems, no stomach issues, etc
WIN #4: Loving my new cold weather running tights and hoodie. They felt great!
WIN #5: I ran slow and steady enough during the run that I felt good enough to be able to run more miles after the 20. Great news, because I need to add 6.2 more...

RUN "F.U.s"
FU #1: I had to pee 2 times in the first 3 miles (one was .25 miles from a porta-potty, I found out after the fact)
FU #2: Pulled left glute muscle from workout
FU #3: Ankle tape cut into my heel around mile 15. There was blood upon removal. Ouch
FU #4: Blood blister. Need I say more?
FU #5: My arms were so tight and sore from yesterday that it was uncomfortable to keep them in constant swinging motion. I had to frequently stretch them. Annoying.

"JUST KIDDING" BLONDE MOMENT
I guess I didn't pay enough attention to where I started the route, because I passed a fork in the trail at 3:16 and figured it was mine and stopped and walked halfway up the hill before I realized it was NOT. Ok, it was really dark at 5:30 when I started running, so I was a bit out of sorts. I had to walk back to the main trail and run the last mile and half or so until my actual turn-off. What a lame-O.

RECOVERY
Post-Run
I was obviously stiff and I was extremely hungry (tummy rumblings began at hour 2:15), so I walked briskly up the hill to the car, grabbed 1 gatorade, 1 water, 1 protein bar, and 1 banana. I walked around the large soccer field park very awkwardly (think "full diaper" awkward) and downed the gatorade and protein bar in record time. I still couldn't bend my knees properly - stretching necessary. Ate the banana and water while stretching. Once I was able to bend my legs without wincing, I drove home. You know what's NOT good for stiff, sore, leg muscles? A 45-minute car ride! Getting out of the car at home was PAINFUL!!!
All day
Immediate carb + protein breakfast refuel? CHECK.
Hot shower on sore muscles? CHECK.
Ice massage for both shins? CHECK.
Constant leg stretching? CHECK.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Nov 14 - 20: One mid-week run; 8 miles weekend
Nov 21 - 27:  One mid-week run; Turkey Trot 10k on Thanksgiving; Another 6 miles Saturday. Oh, and MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!
Nov 28 - Dec 3: Two mid-week runs; 21-22 miles on weekend. *Last long run before race!!!*


Officially exhausted now. I'm heading off to bed, but let's not count on me being able to get myself out of it in the morning. More like "rolling out on the floor and crawling to the bathroom" in the morning. Ah, the life of a marathon virgin...

18-7-13, HELLO?

Yeah. it's been like a month since I've posted. I am so lame at this. I'll start from the beginning of the month and work my way down to now. Brilliant.

Sept 25
This was the day of my EPIC 18-mile run! Deciding where to run was tricky. Fullerton and surrounding area is SUPER boring to run in, and full of hills might I add, so I decided to make a morning of it and drive up to Santa Monica and run on the beach. Plus, that would mean I would be mere blocks from my fave cupcakery - Yummy Cupcakes - and win myself a little treat for being so runningly awesome. After looking through a few mapped routes via MapMyRun, I locked in on starting by Pico and heading south to Dockweiler and back, running through the marina. I wanted to run north up to Malibu but I was iffy on bike paths and whether or not pedestrians were able to take PCH all the way up. Maybe for my next 18-20 miler (scheduled in a month).

I woke up at 5:00am and drove up, found a great parking spot in the residentials three block up from the beach (which gave my legs a great mini warm-up), then started running around 6:15. It was dark and a bit chilly. There were a few runners/cyclists out, but we were way out-populated by the scary homeless people sleeping all over the bike path and on Ocean. As I headed into Venice Beach I saw a large group of people and tents and stuff. Turns out it was the same day as the LA Triathalon! Fancy that. So I ran past all the entrants warming up with their bikes and saw the news people. Then I thought "well this is gonna bite me in ass later!"

I continued on to Marina Del Rey and turned up away from the beach into the marina area. I ran around the entire marina until I hit a special bike path that headed towards the river mouth into the ocean. I crossed the bridge onto the Del Rey beach and kept south until I hit Dockweiler (and I knew when I hit it bc planes were taking off overhead!). I turned around at Imperial and did an out-&-back the way I came. I did take a bathroom break before crossing the bridge again (which was over halfway through so I thought that was very impressive). My legs got really fatigued around mile 9 and it was tough going until I hit marina again. By that time, my legs hit what I call "the robot" stage, where I don't even have to think about moving them anymore... they just go like a robot. The marina loop was faster going back, but I was still SO relieved to hit the crossroad down to the beach. Then it was like "woooo! almost there!" And I did hit the triathalon right as athletes were crossing the finish line. I had to bob up and down waiting to cross. And then the lady said "ok yuo can run through first" so I did... right as a finisher sped up and we almost collided. NICE. The last 3 miles were tough but once I saw the SM Pier in the distance I got super happy and made it. The actual route was 17.3 miles, so when I hit the end, I thought "yeah I'll just make it even" so I went 4 minutes more north and turned back which added just enough to make it 18. I walked for 10 minutes straight after that, and boy was I out of sorts. I was walking very gingerly and my ankle was killing me bc I stupidly didn't tape it (tape it for a 40 minute soccer game, but 3-hour run? not so much. dumb). It felt all wobbly and loose around the bone. It was really odd. I slowly walked back up the hill to my car and downed a full bottle of Gatorade, grabbed my sweatpants, stuffed a protein bar in my mouth, and took another Gatorade back down to the park at the beach. I stretched for another 20 minutes and then finally felt able to go back to the car and drive. It was crazy, and I was so proud of myself! Final time said 2:30 but I think I forgot to restart the watch after a traffic light or something because that just seems too fast. It was most likely 2:45-ish. I know I finished at 9:00am.

and yes, duh, I bought a dozen cupcakes. It was a good "special flavor" day that day.

The whole week was spent recouping. I don't think I ran at all until soccer.

Oct 3
I didn't do any running other than soccer that whole week, and I waited until Monday after work to do another run. I did my 7 mile loop around work. It was pretty good. I did it in 57 minutes, but my ankle was hurting a few miles in. I was so paranoid from that long run that I taped it insanely tight and it cut off my circulation a bit and made a big blister! So that was great. At least I was able to run downhill without wincing. I ran once more on Friday - only 4 miles - just to get another easy run in before the long beach race on the 9th. That was slower than usual. It was also a bit hot. Ugh.


Oct 9
THE LONG BEACH HALF MARATHON! weeeeee!

Hamming it up!

can I just say that Lisa is the BEST for running 13.1 miles with me for no reason? Yes, I will say it. Her family rocks too. It was wonderful carpooling with them so I didn't have to drive all the way to LB early in the morning. The Holmans run the LB every year and it was nice to have them there as MY family didn't care enough to come out and see me run. Jerks.

The race was not so much as good as the pre-race hijinks. I took a Gu at the start line. Mistake #1. Our first 3 miles were sllllow because the damn course is like an inch across and you get stuck behind slow people. Mistake #2. I had to stop for the bathroom at like mile 2. Gu's Mistake #1. That stretch of 4 miles along the beach was torture for those of us with no sunglasses. Mistake #3. I had to stop for the bathroom AGAIN at mile 7 or 8. Gu's Mistake #2. Some guy was handing out donut holes. WTF? Ugh my stomach is turning just thinking about it. My tum was not having it that race. I knew I should've been drinking more powerade or water, and perhaps have eaten an orange, but I was so worried that something would come out if I put anything in my stomach. I was iffy on taking a ShotBlock. It was really difficult the last 3 miles. I didn't want to increase my stride; I just wanted to go to the bathroom. I somehow crossed the finish line. and by crossed, I mean I jumped across kickbox-style:

Finishing Miss-style

The official time is like 2:03, but Lisa's watch had us at 1:59. I'll take it! I don't count bathroom stops in my time!

Lisa (and my abs) ROCKS!

I have never felt so sick after running. I got down a banana, some protein bar, and a coconut water, but I felt gross. The Holmans took us to Krispy Kreme and I didn't even want to eat one! ME! NOT EAT KRISPY KREME! yeah, I was that affected.

It took me two days to recover. I went home sick Monday because of this tummy trouble! So lame. I hope this was a one-time issue only. I don't need this happening with every long run from now til December!

Oct 16
Just a simple 8.5-mile run this morning. Plus a 1 mile walk cool down. It was nice. Now I will spend the rest of week 1) worrying about the 15 miles I'm doing Saturday and 2) where the eff am I going to run?? *sigh*

The Knot, the Pull & the 15 Miler

9/11/11. IDC. ("i was over it 9/12")

but i *do* care that i ran 15 miles in less than 2.5 hours today! weeee!

i skipped a few days (weeks?) of writing because i didn't really do much. after that 13-miler, i had a bit of an injury, so i took it easy that whole week and didn't run at all. i guess my muscles didn't like the 13 and thought if they all balled up together in my right thigh, they would feel better. well, as it turns out, it's not helping me *at all.* i've had a HUGE knot in my thigh for two weeks! and apparently NO amount of foam rolling or Tiger-Tailing is going to give this thing the slip.

this has put my strength on a standstill as well, since now travis can't really give me any leg exercises, and he has to spend 30 minutes (or more) rolling out my knot. my arms are starting to look mannish, since all i can do is arms, chest, back, and abs. my abs are totally starting to carve out, too! the damn lower belly fat won't budge though. i think it should get in cahoots with the thigh knot and go somewhere far away together. forever.

back to the fun stuff: training! i kept up my basic conditioning runs all week. did 45 minutes on monday, but that really hurt, so i was forced to skip TKB on tuesday (horror!!!). i ran again on wednesday after a 1-hour strength workout, which was awesome. and then friday night i did an almost-full-out 5k, where i clocked in at 24:43. weeeeee! under 25 minutes! that's practically high school time. if i remember correctly, my PR in high school was in the 22-minute mark, and my PR for Mt Sac was around 23-something. (i didn't keep meticulous notes on my high school races like Lisa. weirdo).

speaking of Lisa and high school - this was us in 1999! not sure if this is XC or track, buuut i AM sure i was making her listen to the Backstreet Boys here.

Lisa is the best runner i know (running is to Lisa as soccer is to Missy -- i always aced those on the standardized tests), so i drove down to san diego and forced her to do 15 miles with me. ok, i didn't "force" her. i bribed her with cupcakes. what a trooper!

night before nosh: basic pizza and salad. and a cupcake. maybe two.

morning fuel: whole-wheat waffle with chunky peanut butter and a G Step 1 (totally loved this morning fuel. i will use it for the next long run)

mid-run perk-up: clif shot blocks. these tasted like medicine. 

after-run energy: gatorade, protein bar, protein shake

run breakdown:

Lisa did this route when she was training for her marathon. she had it all worked out. it was a mostly-flat loop with lots of scenery. i was never bored, which is always great when running over 10 miles!

we ran the course in 2:28:44, which is just under 10-minute miles (9:40ish). kinda slow, but it was great because we didn't tire out and, since i was nursing a pulled groin AND a huge knot, and Lisa hasn't run that long of a distance in awhile, it worked out perfectly. we were never exhausted, was able to converse the entire time, and finished with a strong push. i, naturally, had to take like 3 bathroom breaks (which ended up being 5 bathroom breaks. apparently, ALL the public bathrooms from mission bay to pacific beach get cleaned at exactly the SAME TIME, 6:30 - 7:00am. ugh.) note to self: do NOT drink 32 ounces of water before a long run. maybe 16. not 32.

boy, does my groin hurt something fierce. it has cleared that knot from my mind completely. i think this groin pull showed up during soccer, and it's getting worse. i rolled it out and iced it, iced it, iced it, stretched it, rolled it (you see the pattern). still hurts. TKB will be interesting on tuesday. and forget squats. travis is gonna be maaaa-aad!

ok, so i've got two weeks to prepare for 17 miles. i should kill that one too, since 17 is my favorite number. isn't that how it works?

13 Down, 13 To Go.

Hey-O!

This was a loooong week, exercise-wise. =/

Monday: PT with Trav; good 50-minute conditioning run.

Tuesday: 45 minutes strength (full body circuit x 3); TKB. Count me exhausted.

Wednesday: not-as-good 30-minute conditioning run; soccer game

Thursday: 45 minutes strength; soccer game

Friday: god bless a day off!!

Ok, let me be clear to all those half-marathoners who go around saying they're running a "marathon" (here's looking at you, annoying TPI girls): they call it a HALF-marathon for a reason. It is half of what a marathoner runs. I say this because I ran half a marathon this morning, and I can't believe I am dumb enough to do it twice, one continuously right after the other.

I decided to run a modified Disneyland Half course because I can't run the actual one. =( Although, Snail's Pace is offering a spot plus a one-day park hopper ticket for $195. Um, that's an expensive race, no? I was disinclined to to acquiesce to their request.

Anyhoo, here's the route:

Ok this looked a lot bigger on my desktop...

It's technically 13.5 miles. I did the whole route, buuuuut I did not hit the start button on my watch hard enough to actually start it and realized it 0.5 miles in (at Disneyland Dr.) See, DUMB.

I felt pretty good until the 8th mile. I got the GI problem again (come ON with that!!!) so it was pretty uncomfortable. By 10th mile, my legs were moving pretty slowly and were verrry fatigued. It was molasses-city.

Also, here's a point worth noting: uh, the mile on Euclid between Ball and Katella is dodgy at best. I was scared for my life... and it was 8:00 am. So maybe I don't run over there anymore.

So I somehow managed to get to Harbor and Katella, and there I ran into a hotel and used the toilet. Sweet relief. I think it was affecting me more than I realized because as soon as I left that hotel, pistons were ON, kids. I booked it the last 1.5 miles. I made up most of that lag time. I felt SO good. My legs weren't as fatigued and I finished super-strong.

Finish time was [1:57:48], which doesn't include that 0.5 mile in the beginning. Which is fine because 1) that'll be my warm-up, and 2) I managed to do my half-marathon in under 2 hours, which was my goal! AWESOME. When I was done, I walked for 5 minutes, did some post-run drills, walked some more, ate a protein bar, and downed 32oz of Gatorade.

Unfortunate calamity #1: chafing. Turns out, my best sports bra and favorite shorts aren't as "best and favorite" after 10 miles. They totally chafed me. I wanted to take a pic but I thought a photo of my underboob might be inappropriate. Sorry all you men out there.

Unfortunate calamity #2: my streak of "no injuries" is fading into oblivion. I have a tight groin on my right leg. It pulls when I do the runner's lunge and run downhill. I think I need to take it easy this week and see if it finds it's way out on it's own. And my right IT band is giving me some grief. I bought a new foam roller though, so that should help a lot, as well as my kick-ass Tiger Tail (ahhh, my boyfriend the Tiger Tail... he massages all my knots out). Fingers crossed I have no major injury reports next post.

So, to sum up, I only have to run that entire route one more time and that's 26 miles and that's what I will be running in January. Plus 0.2 miles. (There's an "EEEK" moment).

Side note: HO-HO-HOLY CRAP IS IT HOT OUT HERE! This weather blows! I can't run in this!

"In Your Face, Last Saturday Me!"

"Think about it... you'd be in competition with yourself."

"That's my favorite kind!"

After stewing about that damn tenner on Saturday, I took Sunday to calm down and decide it wasn't a big deal to not run the full 11 like my schedule says to.

And then I said, "Eff that, I'm running 11."

So today, after training with Trav (who Tiger Tail-ed a HUGE knot in my left quad, ahhhhhhh), I ran 12. That's right, kids. 12.

SUCK IT, SATURDAY MELISSA! MONDAY MELISSA KICKED YOUR ASS!

Melissa, really? You couldn't do one more mile and make it a half-marathon length?

No, wiseass. Well, yes I could have done one more mile. However, I am scheduled to do the 13 a week from Saturday so I thought I should just wait. So shut it.

12 miles, 3 hills (Gilbert hill part II, Harbor hill, annnnnd Rosecrans hill East), and a total time of 1:52. woohoo, that's like a lower 9-minute pace. Solid. Which means, that on a flat course and one more month of training, I should run that half-marathon in under 2 hours no problem. Awesome.

Oh, and note to my digestive tract: any chance I could get in a long run sans the fear? That would be great... thanks. I'm sick of running into fast food joints and messing up my "groove."

PS: HAPPY (2-HOURS-TIL) BIRTHDAY, PRECIOUS! (Scott turns 25 tomorrow, Aug 16!)

It's (only) a Ten!

Ten, ten, ten. Stupid ten.

I was supposed to run 11-12 miles today. My own stupidity made it only a 10. I got the wrong route in my mind and failed to check my mapmyrun account prior to running, and I only ended up with a tenner. DAMN. I was all ready to run 12.

The good news is that

1) my route included 2 hills (Harbor hill .71mi and Gilbert hill 1.09mi)

2) I averaged 9:30 pace, and

3) best of all, my body felt great. No leg pain, no blisters, no lung anguish. Ended my run barely winded and feeling fine.

So hooray. I know I could have done 2 more miles. I am very disappointed I didn't get to execute. Now I'm worried I will be behind on my training. I'm going back down to 5 miles next weekend (hopefully doing a 9:00 pace). Maybe if I do 3 miles tomorrow it will make up for it? Ahhhhh hating life right now.

In body news, I think my abdominals are really changing, albeit slowly. Travis estimates I will be exactly where I want to be in December. Fingers crossed. I will need to do a "Before and After" pic and testimonial for him. And my arms are always killer. Sometimes I will just stare at my arms in windows as I pass. Does that make me narcissistic? Yes, but I deserve to be because I work hard for these arms!

Let's talk about music, shall we?

I've got a couple ("COUPLE!") of songs I *must* have on my running playlist.

Best for pacing: "My Life Would Suck Without You" - Kelly Clarkson

Best for taking your mind off the actual running: "Yakko's Nation's of the World" - Yakko Warner

Yes, you read correctly. I've almost got it memorized.

Best for slowing pace down: "Only You" - Yazoo

Best for powering up hills: "Club Can't Handle Me" - Flo Rida or "Shots" - LMFAO

Yeah yeah, I know. but seriously, great running song)

Best for final push: "Requiem for a Dying Song" - Flogging Molly

Other must-haves:

"Resistance" - Muse (YES!! Top 5)

"Shine A Light" - McFly

"Nowhere Left to Run" - McFly

"About You Now" - Sugababes

"Check Yes Juliet" - We The Kings

"3" - Britney (because I NEED my girl in there somewhere!)

Ugh, I'm still depressed about the tenner. Maybe I'll be over it tomorrow. "But I douuuubt it"