Good-bye 13.1, hello 5K and running people in

My being sick has allowed me to really reflect on my fitness/running.  I have made the OFFICIAL decision to NOT run 13.1 Prairie Fire Marathon.  I am going to run the 5K and run some of my peeps in instead.  I am going to still come to the long Saturday runs because I really enjoy them and will run what I can.  On a physical level I have gained weight since my marathon Oklahoma City Marathon.   and it has made running supper hard and distances over 6 miles not enjoyable.  People tell me I "hide it well"  and don't look overweight to them, but the truth of the matter is that NONE of my jeans/slacks/pants fit me and I have been forced to wear dresses.  I wish I could blame all of this on menopause but I can't.  I eat when I am stressed. It blows my mind that I ran a marathon 4 months ago and am NO WHERE near that fitness level.  If you have ran with me you know what the source of my stress is.  I am still not ready to publicly acknowledge it in this blog but it has been hard.  Our family has been on an emotional roller coaster for 3 years now and I am really ready for things to change.   I need to take a long HARD look at my nutrition, and I need to lift weights.  As I write this, please do not feel sorry for me.  Simply understand that as a runner sometimes life will not allow you to follow through with the goals you have set for yourself.  That being said, I have a new goal.  I want to give long distance running a complete break for 12 weeks.  Crazy, right?  Can you believe your girl NJ just said that?  Something that has worked in the past for me is  Body For Life program.  It involves weight lifting three times a week and HIIT (20 minutes) the other three days of the week.  Of course my HIGH INTENSISTY INTERVAL TRAINING  will be running.  By taking this fitness approach now, I will be able to run for fun in December and begin training for 13.1 in January.  I am so proud of the progress that all of you have made these last few months.  You will have an OUTSTANDING  13.1 or 26.2 miles.  Some of you have already asked me to met up with and help to get through some of your last miles on race day.  I would be honored to do so.  I REALLY tried and had hoped that Prairie Fire Marathon would "heal" me the way that OKC did. I was wrong.  I have enjoyed being a volunteer for Start 2 Finish and have met wonderful life long friends. I will see you on Saturday for 4-6 miles???

Mona, Brittany and Kendra will do GREAT at Prairie Fire!

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Weight gain, burnout and falling off of the wagon

63 days until the Prairie Fire Half Marathon????

130 pounds is a great running weight for me

Did you notice that I put question marks?  I honestly do not know if I will be running the Prairie Fire Half Marathon.  This is because August ALWAYS does a number on my running.  It mostly has to do with going back to school.  You would think that being an Elementary School Library Media Specialist would be a stress free job.  It isn't!  I truly need my summer break to re-coop from the previous year.  Summer brings staying up later, getting up early for running and usually an afternoon nap taken while watching Dr. Phil.  A couple of things have really hurt my running program the first of which is weight gain.  

Me with Winston and Helaine

Barbara shared Three Reasons why you are not losing weight while marathon training. on facebook this last week.  Describes me perfectly.  When I look back at this picture of me from 2006 (yes I was 8 years younger) I don't think I used food to comfort my soul.  When I am exhausted, I eat, I run less and I gain weight.  Another thing that this picture reminds me of was my "less is more" philosophy with regards to running.  When I trained for my first half marathon in the summer of 2006 I only ran 3 days a week.  I honestly think

A well deserved beer after Prairie Fire Fall 13.1

that running 4-5 days a week is too much for me.  I am going to take a look at the S2F training a adapt it to a three day a week program.  Here is how I did it in 2006.  You keep the distance of your long run on Saturdays and the other two days you run half the distance of the long run.  For example if your Saturday run is 11 miles you would run 5.5 miles on Tuesday and 5.5 miles on Thursdays.  I think this is what I am going to do but also add in track night.  I might not PR using this method but I think it is what I need to do to get past the burnout and falling off of the wagon.  My friend Helaine has a great attitude about races and training as sometimes life does not let you know until the last minute if you will be able to run a race.  I am becoming more like her and waiting sometimes until the last minute to sign up for a race.  She, like all of us have moments in our lives where sometimes running takes a back seat.  Just like Helaine when I have those times that I fall off of the wagon I come back as a stronger runner.  So what I missed a week of running?  Is is going to kill me that I missed Saturdays 10 mile run?  NO!  During my Dad's stay in Hospice and his eventual passing I missed close to 6 weeks of running in December of 2012.  I came back in spring of 2013 to run my fastest half marathon to date.  If you are burned out, it is OK maybe a little rest is what your body is craving.  When my listing my workouts for the next week I am still assuming that I will run Prairie Fire 13.1, but if I don't it is not that big of a deal.  Sometimes you don't need a race and just need to run for the beauty of it.  

Workouts for the week of 8/11-16

Goal for the week: concentrate on nutrition.

Tired of weighing 145 pounds

Monday: The Firm Weights DVD

Tuesday: 5.5 mile run AM, track night PM

Wednesday: The Firm Cardio/weights DVD

Thursday: AM 5.5 mile run with negative splits

Friday: The Firm weight training DVD

Saturday: 11 mile run in Haysville.  Who wants to join me?

83 Days until the PF 1/2 Marathon WHAT NOT TO WEAR

Diva Night was fun and I had a good time

Last Friday night was Diva night at GoRun East and I was one of the models for its fashion show.  I slapped on some glasses and had a fun time of it.  After "the catwalk" the models all came back out and we talked about our Moving Comfort Bras.  I actually changed back into the shirt I had worn to Diva Night because I wanted everyone to see how modest that "JUNO" is and that I had actually used it instead of a camisole underneath my low cut shirt.  As someone that is still getting "hot flashes" on

You can see my bra!

a pretty regular basis the less clothing I have on, the better. My blue top with my Moving Comfort Bra (on the last closure) is actually something that I will wear in the classroom this year as it is very comfortable.  When I run wearing this bra I do tighten it up all the way. The fashion show prompted a lot of questions regarding "What do you wear to race in?"  Having ran several races, I do know what running gear works best for my body.  I challenge you to experiment in the next few weeks to find out what works best for you.  Don't try out new fashion options on race day

Compression Capris and a dry weave shirt 

as you could end up running in something that may not be able to "go the distance."  My #1 favorite option works well in the spring and the fall and that is pairing compression capris with a dry weave shirt.  Most capris do not have underwear built into them so make sure your pair is made out of a wicking material.  Cotton underwear is a no-no! In the heat of summer and early fall I get too hot in capri's so I will wear shorts.  The shorts I chose depend on the distance that I am running that day.

Running shorts do "ride up" on me

 If I am running under six miles I will go with a regular running short.  The ones I buy have the underwear built in.  I like these shorts but they do tend to ride up in between the legs as they did in last years "Titan 10K".  I can tolerate this for an hour or so but anything longer and I don't want to be  tugging my shorts down while I am running.  Sometimes I will also wear regular shorts but these tend to be high waisted and I find myself tugging them down so I don't look like I am wearing "MOM

MOM SHORTS!

SHORTS."  When it is hot and I am running over 6 miles my favorite choice are compression shorts and a wicking shirt.  The best thing about compression shorts in my opinion is the fact that I really do not need to use Body Glide on my legs. On most of our group runs on Saturday you will see me in my favorite compression

Compression shorts 

shorts that are Champion brand that I bought at Target  I also have two new pairs that I got at J C Penny and they were reasonably priced. Go Run caries some nice ones too, I believe Nike brand. Don't be fooled not all "compression" shorts actually compress.  I am glad I only had 3 miles to run

NOT compression shorts!

the time I wore my gray with pink compression liner that I got from Wal-Mart. They might look cute on a hanger but actually are worthless to run in.  I tugged at them the entire 3 miles. I will never run in them again.  OK now you have some options to think about.  Try things on and actually go out of the fitting room and jog in them a little bit.  Make sure you spend your money wisely.  I am VERY happy with my decision to cut back from the full marathon and move down to the half marathon.  I actually ran happy on Saturday and that is what it is all about. 

Workouts for the week of 7/21/14 *only 20 minutes long

Monday:4 EZ 4x8-sec accels Firm: Sculpt

Tuesday: FU track night/3 EZ

Wednesday: The Firm Super Sculpting

Thursday: Fartlek 5 EZ4x40-sec at 5K

Friday: 4 EZ Firm: Cardio+ Sculpt

Saturday: Progression 9 EZ - last 10 min at moderate

Less is More: 89 Days until the Prairie Fire HALF Marathon

It has been a while since I have updated my blog and a lot of things have changed in my running world.  I have made the decision to not run the Prairie Fire Marathon, but instead focus my attention on the half marathon instead.  It was a hard decision to make but for me it was necessary.  First of all I am not certain that an average runner like me can handle doing more than one marathon in a calendar year.  I completed the Oklahoma City Marathon in late April and on some levels I do not feel fully recovered from it.

The Crew after our 10 mile run

 Joni had invited us to run 10 miles with her in the country a few weeks ago and I was looking forward to running in a different location.  I did not sleep well the night before that run as I had gotten the news of my Uncle passing on.  It brought back all the memories of what it is like to lose a parent.  The stubborn runner that I am decided to "suck it up" and meet with the crew and run anyway.  Big mistake, HUGE!  I could not keep up with them.  They were holding a 10:30 pace which is normally what I once was able to do.  At first they were just a 100 yards ahead of me and then it turned into a half mile ahead of me.  I was alone and able to really think and contemplate my training plans.  I AM SLOWER, AND I HAVE MY PREVIOUS MARATHON TRAINING TO THANK FOR THAT!   In order for me to run and complete a marathon I did have to slow down and that has me VERY disappointed. Even hella tired (before OKC training) I could still maintain pace and keep up with the group. Bottom line is that I want the speed that I once had back and I think I can do so with a half marathon.  Another thing that I have to honestly admit is that if I want to get my pace back again, I am going to have to lose some weight.

The camera does not lie, I need to lose about 10 pounds!

 I have easily put on 10 pounds since the Oklahoma City Marathon. This past weekend at my Uncles funeral we were able to take a bunch of family pictures, I was stunned!  Pictures don't lie, I am soft especially in the middle. Typically August and September are hard for me with going back to school and it seems that every year becomes harder than the last year.  I am anticipating much more stress in my profession.  Due Process has been eliminated for teachers in my state. In some Texas school districts they are going to stop paying teachers for their Masters degrees.  These things do frighten me because I am one of the higher paid

Mona and I after a 3 mile run

teachers.  I NEVER thought in my profession that I would be concerned with losing my job, but it is a realistic fear.  I just know because of this stress that 26.2 is out of the question.  Another reason I have decided to "cut back" has to do with the physical changes my aging body is going through.  Officially speaking I have finished menopause but have I?  The hot flashes are miserable and running in July has been brutal and I am sad to say that I feel old.  All the more reason to scale back to 13.1.  I am going to use the intermediate half marathon training plan that Start to Finish gave us volunteers.I will now be working with the beginners and intermediate group.  Looks like we will run 10 miles this Saturday.  I talked to coach Fernando today about my change in plans and he told me he would help me out.  He said that we will be running relays tomorrow night at FU (Friends University for my friends that might think I am instead saying FU to track night) track night.  This Friday will be Diva Night at GoRun East.  As one of the Moving Comfort Ambassadors I will

My cute outfit for Diva Night Fashion Show

be a part of the fashion show.  Brad and Fernando helped me pick out a cute outfit and cute shoes for the fashion show.  I also bought a new pair of Brooks Ghost running shoes which should take me through the remainder of 2014.  I have not listed my workouts for the week because I am not feeling that great.  I have sleep issues as many of you know and when I travel I need to take Ambien.  Sadly it gives me intense migraines and takes a while to come out of my system.  The last one I took was on Friday night and I am still feelings its presence in my body.  Tomorrow I will run 4 miles in the morning (if better) and for sure attend track night.  

Run Happy and if you need to change your goal, IT IS OK!

104 Days until the Prairie Fire Marathon

Weight: still 140

Miles ran this week: 17

Miles ran this year: 539

My #1 fan Brad on  the river

I had great workouts this past week.  The addition of the 20 minute "Firm" DVD's is really helping me.  I am not a fan of weight lifting but know that it is a necessary component of a balanced training program.  Weight training scares me because one time I really injured myself.  I was doing rear lunges with too much weight and something pulled and triggered painful Sciatica.  It was so painful that I actually had to quit running for 4 months.   This was about 5 years ago. I honestly thought that I would experience pain the rest of my life.  I now take a kinder gentler approach to lifting and figure at least I am doing something.  Two years ago I was on an early morning run and I tripped.  At the time I did not own a headlight for running, I now do.  That "trip" triggered Sciatica once again.

Joni, Kendra, myself and Brad on the river after our run

 Since I was connected to the Wichita running community I thought I would give Elite Sports Chiropratic a try.  Dr. John Messenger is amazing.  His approach is that of an athlete, because HE IS AN ATHLETE!  I would highly recommend him.  His office is next to SCP and you can see it when you are doing one of your favorite 4 mile runs.  Call first to see if your insurance is accepted.  Sadly mine is not, but I have gone ahead and paid full price because he was worth it.  Hopefully I can remain Sciatica free.  Track night was cancelled on Tuesday so I did my own speedwork on my treadmill in our basement.  I hate treadmills but they will keep you honest regarding your speed.  I have been attending the social runs on Thursdays but did not want to go to the track meet option at WSU.

Lisa, Kathy, Joni and myself after our 6 miles on Saturday

 For $5.00 you could enter all the races you wanted.  Not being much of a racer I decided to see if anyone would want to meet on the river for a run.  Joni, Kenndra and (Christy, I hope that is right as I am bad with names) met me and we had a great little 3 mile run.  My husband Brad Kayaked on the river while we ran.  Saturday our mileage dipped down and we ran 6 miles.  I am enjoying getting to know new runners.  I met Marie and ran close to 4 miles with her and Lisa was right behind us.  We stopped for a while at 4 miles and slowed our pace down for the last 2 miles.  Saturdays runs are not about speed but more about time on your feet.  

My sister Michelle and I at Joe Durt

Early morning runs will be challenging this upcoming 4th of July week.  The people in 'H" town go crazy with fireworks.  The evening of the 4th it will sound like a war zone.  This is why many of us are opting  to not do our long run on  Saturday the 5th of July but to wait until Sunday the 6th of July.  Joni has decided to host our 10 mile run at her house.  I am looking forward to running in the country.  I am also looking forward to hearing peoples stories of "why they run?" "how they started?"  Not at all running related but had a good time hearing my nephews cover  band  Joe Durt last night  If you love 80's metal you should go and see them the next time they play.  I am glad my sister invited me. 

On lead guitar my nephew Adam aka "Jax Deville"

Workouts for the week of 6/30-7/6

Monday AM: 4 EZ last 5 minutes progression

Tuesday AM: The Firm Super Sculpt. Tuesday PM: FU track night 3 miles 

Wednesday AM: The Firm Express: Cycle 2 Accelerate: Cardio

Thursday AM: The Firm Express: Cycle 2 Accelerate, Cardio + Sculpt. Thursday PM: Social run 3 miles

Friday AM: The Firm Express: Cycle 2 Accelerate, Scuplt.

Saturday: REST

Sunday: 10 miles EZ from Joni's house.

Juno what? I LOVE MY BRA

111 Days until the Prairie Fire Marathon

Weight:  140 pounds

Miles ran this week: 17

Miles ran this year: 522

I thought I would start out with a little "bra history."

I loved these shoes!

 In the late 70's when I ran cross country, sports bras did not exist. If they did exist the cost would have been prohibitive.  Money was tight in my family and the  $35.00 that my parents had paid  for my sweet Nike's, was probably more than they could afford. As most female athletes of my age can tell you, we just wore our regular bra's, and that was that.  I believe sports bras became more readily available during the aerobics craze in the 1980's, and yes your girl NJ was a HIGH IMPACT aerobics crazed chick. I embraced these new bras and even had the figure to simply use them with a pair of shorts when I went for a run. Cheap bras worked for years until: Pregnancy, Breast Feeding, and Menopause.  I was 29 years old and for the first time in my life I actually needed better bra support.  Not easy to find when you are on the smaller side (34 B/C).  I sort of accepted the fact that in my size range that all I would ever get would be SOME support, not the compressed flat look that I like for my longer runs.

Juno what?  I LOVE this bra!

About a week ago Karlee Martinez had asked me if I would like to be a Moving Comfort ambassador.  All I would have to do is to write about my sports bra experience on Social Media.  I told her that I would be happy to write about it on my blog.  There are 10 of us that are ambassadors and we all have different "runners" stories.  Karlee did a great job selecting representatives. After listening to the presentation from the Moving Comfort representative I wondered if "Juno" would work for me?  If so it would offer me the "locked, loaded and compressed." look/feel that I like when I run. I ended up with the Juno model in black.  I LOVE IT!  

Kendra, Richard, Kirk, Nancy and I at the beer run

For me it will be a "running only" bra because it is pretty tight but it does what it is suppose to do.  I was running late to track night and had forgotten to put it on and I felt the difference.  I wore it Saturday and took it for an 8 mile run.  I am very happy with it.  You spend good $ every 500 miles on a new pair of shoes.  Why not treat your "other pair" with a quality sports bra?  If you are a part of the Start to Finish training program you got a coupon for a % off a Moving Comfort Bra.  More bra talk to come on Diva Night.

Melissa, Lisa, Angi, Kathy and I after our 8 mile run

 Did well with my workouts this past week.   Track night was hard.  I need to try and push myself more this next week.  Enjoyed the beer run and didn't even drink.  I really don't need the added expense or the additional calories that come with drinking.   I LOVE the bike path off of K96 because you get the added bonus of hills. Kathy and I ran with a great group of first time marathon runners: Melissa, Lisa and Angi and had a great 8 mile run on Saturday.

Workouts for the week of 6/23:

Monday: The Firm Super Sculpt

Tuesday AM: The Firm Express: Cycle 2 Accelerate, Cardio. PM: FU track workout

Wednesday: The Firm Express: Cycle 2 Accelerate, Cardio + Sculpt 3 miles EZ

Thursday: 4 miles tempo, PM Social Run?

Friday: The Firm Express: Cycle 2 Accelerate, Sculpt.

Saturday:  6 EZ but I would LIKE to try to run this at 10K pace (9:40-10:00 minute miles)

RUN HAPPY :)

118 days until the Prairie Fire Marathon

THE NEGATIVE VOICE INSIDE YOUR HEAD

Most runners will at one time or another experience that negative voice inside your head.  You know the one that tells you "You Suck!",  "You Are Slow!", "YOU are a Start To Finish Volunteer, REALLY?  Now you know some of the things that I was thinking during our first group run on Saturday.  The first 3 miles were OK and being excited about training again I probably started out too fast. By mile 5 I had to walk.  At 5.5 miles while walking I ran into Grace and told her "I don't think I can do 26.2, maybe I should cut back to 13.1?"  

I HATE YOU LAKE HEFNER!

I felt defeated and not worthy of my S2F (cut and fashioned to make it girly) volunteer shirt.  By the time I hit mile 7 Joni had come back to check on me and I told her I AM NOT DOING 26.2!!!   The negative self talk had gotten to me.  I had sort of expected to just be able to jump back in and be where I was 6 weeks ago at the Oklahoma City Marathon.  I know that after 6 weeks my body is completely rested/healed but I don't think I am emotionally healed.  If you ran OKC you will get what I mean, I know that my girl Kathy does too!  Rain, a two hour delay, hunger, wind, hills and heat. On Saturday I when I hit the last 2 miles of my 7 ( I had long lost the group) I was running into straight wind and was having lake Hefner flashbacks THAT WAS THE HARDEST PART OF THE RACE!  Twenty Four hours later I am happy to tell you, that your

Got these cheap at amazon.com 

girl NJ wants REDEMPTION!   I will run 26.2 again! Some runs are good and some are bad.  You just have to ignore that voice in your head. I am here to tell you that it is normal to doubt yourself at times.  You just have to get through it.

      My running and workouts were great this past week.  I really like the beginner training plan.  It allows me to run shorter distances more often.  When I do those shorter distances I am able to do them at my 5K - 10K pace which is a 9:30-10:00 mile.  I have missed that.  My long slow distance runs are generally at a 10:30-11:30 pace.  I am REALLY curious to see what my 10K will be like at the South Side Scorcher in a few weeks. I know that I needed to add weight training to the mix this time.  We dropped our YMCA membership so I am back to doing my cross training at home.  I purchased The

Joni, Me and Shawndra at track night

Firm Express dirt cheap on Amazon.  They are 20 minute workouts that have added nicely to my training. Each workout is only 20 minutes!  Think if this as a kinder gentler version of P90X.  My 19 year old has done P90X and I knew it would be took much for me.  I also went to track night this week and although it was hard it did not entirely kick my butt. I learned that I need to replace my Tuesday AM distance with the track night workout. Both workouts were not necessary and probably a bit too much for me.  It was great to take Shawndra to track night.  I hope that I get to run with her more often. Best part of the week?   was easily the ice cream run. 

WORKOUTS FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 9-15-2014

Monday: The Firm Express Cycle 1 Ignite Sculpt

Tuesday: FU track night 3 miles

Wednesday:AM: 3 miles  and after my run The Firm Express Cycle 1 Ignite Cardio/Sculpt 

Thursday: 3 miles 

Friday: The Firm Express Cycle 1 Ignite Cardio

Saturday: 8 miles 

Running Happy with Kendra and Joni 

125 days until the Prairie Fire Marathon: LET THE TRAINING BEGIN

I just got back from the Start 2 Finish Kick Off.  I plan to once again blog about my training journey.  For those of you that don't know me, my name is Natalie Johnson and I am one of the volunteers for the S2F training program offered by GoRun.  I am 51 years old, have been running for 35 years and I am an average runner.  I will be working with the beginning marathon group and running the Prairie Fire Marathon in 125 days.  This training season I want to put more of the focus on those of you that I run with.  I LOVE hearing your stories.  Your stories will help me get through some of those long dreaded runs. Of course I will ask your permission before I write about you on my blog. My Oklahoma City Marathon a little over a month ago was hard and I have learned from my mistakes and I want to pass that knowledge on to you. Anyway I am sure we will all have great stories to tell one another.  I am really looking forward to our first group run.  

Before training 6/8/14

I had my husband Brad take some "before" pictures of me tonight.  I found my "Run Happy" shorts tonight on clearance at Dicks sports.  I already had the shirt and have another "Run Happy" tank top that my good friend Helaine got for me.  Anyway this is probably what I will wear on race day. In the past when I have trained for long distances I often lose weight.  This really has not been the case now that I am 51.5 and an aging woman.  Today on this eve of our training I weigh 140.  It was fun to see my running peeps tonight and I look forward to all the new people I am going to meet. About those mistakes I made.....................

I DID NOT CROSS TRAIN.  This time I will and it will involve weight training.  
I DID NOT DIET OR PAY ATTENTION TO NUTRITION.  This time I will, at 51.5 years you can not use "I ran 20 miles I can eat whatever I want" as your ticket to indulge.  My body is aging and I have to respect it with proper nutrition.  This is a hard one for me because as runner I WAS able to eat what I wanted and not put on weight, but now things are different.

Before training with Lucky 6/8/14

WEEKLY I WILL ELIMINATE ONE BAD HABIT FROM MY LIFE.  When I get into training mode it makes me really take a long hard look at my life and things I need to improve upon.

I DID NOT DO SPEED WORK.  This time I will so you will be seeing me at the Friends Track night.  I have been assured that I won't be the oldest chick at track night.  Do you have support at home?  I do, my husband Brad is my #1 fan.  He took these before pictures of me.  He is not a runner but shows his support of me with his "0.0" magnet that he has on the back of his car.  He has spent NUMEROUS hours on me waiting to cross the finish line. He is the first person I love to see when I cross a finish line. 

Workouts for the week that begins our journey

MONDAY: Firm Super Sculpt DVD

TUESDAY: 3 EZ and Friends U. track night I AM SCARED!

WEDNESDAY: 2 EZ  Firm DVD

THURSDAY: 3EZ ice-cream run, I plan on doing these Thursday social runs until school resumes.

FRIDAY: REST

SATURDAY: 7 EZ WITH MY NEW BEGINNING MARATHON CREW. 

130 Days until the Prairie Fire Marathon

Weight: 140

Waist: 32

Our first group run is on Saturday.  It is hard to believe that I ran a Marathon a month ago.  I feel like a slacker who is out of shape.  I have heard several people say that it often does take a month for you to decompress after a marathon.  It not only took its toll on my body physically it also did a number on me mentally.  It has been nice to not follow a training schedule and sort of just do what I want to do.  The furthest I have ran in the last month was 8 miles.  Kathy and I did 6 miles last Saturday.  .  Last winter we used one of Hal Higdon's training programs to train for the Oklahoma City Marathon.  This time things will be different as we have decided to us the training that Start To Finish gives us. By the way if you are interested in starting a running program I highly recommend this program.  Yes, I could train you but why listen to me when you can get trained by the best.

     I ordered The Firm Express video series to go along with my training.  Back in the day I was a VHS exercise Queen and had loved the Firm.  The Firm actually got to be too easy for me at one point so I had moved on to Cathe Friedrich DVD's.  I could sort of do  Cathe Friedrich  but they really were too hard for me.  I then moved on to a YMCA membership and running for my fitness fix.  And now I have gone full circle, dropped the YMCA membership and will be back to using The Firm DVD's in my basement.  I like the fact that I was able to order this series of DVD's used from Amazon and that each workout is only 30 minutes.  I think it will blend nicely with my running.
      The last 6 weeks have been stressful and I coped with it by eating.  I was 132 pounds on the day I ran the OKC Marathon and have gained 8 pounds since.  I say that I will be using My Fitness Pal but I just can't seem to get into the habit of it.  I had Brad take a picture of me this morning as sort of a "before" picture.  It seems that the older I get the harder it is for me to keep the weight off.
     I am looking forward to seeing the training plan.  Was thinking about participating in track night.  I really want to but fear that not only will I be the oldest female runner, I will be the slowest.  In my mind though I am still a 16 year old running Cross Country for Knob Noster High School.  If I do the track night I will need to make sure that I am not running on Wednesday morning.

WORKOUTS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK
Whatever I feel like UNTIL SATURDAY AND THE BEGINNING OF START TO FINISH. 

138 days until the Prairie Fire Marathon

Official training begins two weeks from today

OK, I have slacked since the Oklahoma City Marathon.  Immediately after finishing it I said "I WILL NEVER RUN A MARATHON AGAIN!"  It took me about 3 days to get over that kind of thinking.  I don't think I will ever do a spring marathon again because the training does require indoor running in the winter and that is not fun.  I want redemption for my spring 26.2.  I know I can run 26.2 faster than 5:56.  The Prairie Fire Marathon in Wichita offers a flat course.  The best part about the training is that I will be once again running with a crew of people.  I plan on writing about the new people I meet in my training group.  Kathy and I will be working with beginning marathon runners.  I might not be the best person to be working with beginners (with just one 26.2) under my belt but I think others can learn from my experience. That being said I will be doing a few things different this time.

 WEIGHT LIFTING:  I am not going to lie, I hate it but know that it is a necessary component for keeping my body healthy.  I will be weight lifting three times a week Body For Life style.  For those of you that are not familiar with this method it is basically a "pyramid up" to exhaustion program.  One week you do upper body twice, lower body once and the following week you do upper body once, lower body twice.  The weight workouts take about an hour.  It also has a diet with it that uses the concept of mini meals (which is a healthy idea).  I can do mini meals on the weekends and during my vacation times, but really can not whip out a mini meal at 3:00 in front of Kindergartners.  NUTRITION: Many of us runners think that just because we run an incredible amount of miles we can eat what ever we want.  Not true.  This is especially true if you are post menopausal as I am.  This go around to help me with my nutrition and food intake I will be using My Fitness Pal I especially like how it will take into account how many extra calories that you will need to fuel a long run.  If you would like to friend me at My Fitness Pal my username is librarygirlontherun.  HEAT:  Summer running means that you must avoid the heat but you also need to embrace it.  It will be hot when we train for Prairie Fire.  It is best to avoid the heat by getting up super early and getting the bulk of your miles in before the heat of the day.  If you are going to run in the dark you should get a headlight that you can wear on your forehead.  I have one and I know that I look dorky but it works well. Some heat running is beneficial and some days in the summer the "cool" temperature might be 80 degrees.  Bottom line is that you will be running in hot temperatures.  RUN WITH A CREW:  This is probably my best advice especially when the 16-20 mile runs occur.  So much more enjoyable with runners at your side.  

RUN HAPPY

Never say never: 153 days until the Prairie Fire Marathon

     It took me about a week to get over "I will NEVER run a full marathon again!"  Simply put I have fallen in love with the whole concept of running long slow distances. I begin my training in early June.  I am debating if I should be coached (through Start 2 Finish) or just follow the Hal Higdon plan I used for OKC?  Not sure but I do know that I will be adding weight lifting to the mix and using the equipment that we have in our well stocked basement gym.  We have decided to drop our YMCA membership as we were not using it to it's maximum.  I mostly run anyway and to pay $37.00 a month for Brad and I to attend one cycle class a week is a little expensive.
     I like the fact that on Saturdays when I do my long slow distances I get a break from my life.  For those 2-5 hours I get to be my true authentic self.  I enjoy the opportunity to run with people I don't know.  It was fun getting to know Colette yesterday and when you are running with someone, the miles fly. I was thinking about my friendships and that most of my friends are runners, with the exception of Penny C.

Penny and I after East vs. West 2013

A   R A I S O N   A   S E A S O N   O R   A   L I F E T I M E

     Many of you have probably seen this poem and it is so true.  Penny is a lifetime friend.  I had graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1985 and had been teaching for 5 years when I first met Penny in an Education class at WSU in the summer of 1990.  She was in the middle of her teacher Education program and I was finishing up my graduate level hours in K-12 Library Sciences (no longer offered at WSU!) Two years later when I began my career with the Wichita Public Schools she and I ended up assigned to the same school.

Penny took this picture of me at mile 9

 Our friendship really bloomed after I left the school that we worked at together. If you are a teacher in a large district you need a friend that you can professionally vent with. And for me Penny is that girl.  As I moved into running longer distances Penny has been a great cheerleader.  She was so proud of my first half marathon that she bought me a red apron from Williams Sonoma.  That girl loves that store and I think the clerks in there actually know her by her first name. Another race a few years ago she asked me, "Where do you want me?"  I said, "Mile nine."  Well there she was and she took this cute picture of me.  Last year she came out to Victory in the Valley and watched her son run but also watched me run.  Penny you are my Lifetime friend. Some of my other friends are "season" those people that come in and out of your life. Those that have been put there because for some reason you need them at that moment.  I am hoping that some of my new "season" running friends become "lifetime" friends.  I wonder if they know how much they lifted me up during some very tough times? The thing I love best about running is that it seems that there are not cliques. No one is excluded. there have been times in my life where I have often felt like "I am on the outside looking in."  But not with running.

Workouts for the week of 5/12/14
Monday: Lower Body Weights
Tuesday: 3 mile run
Wednesday: 5 mile tempo run
Thursday: mile run
Friday: Upper Body Weights
Saturday: 8 mile LSD Run

Run Bitches Run!

This weeks blog entry will mostly be a photo essay.   Last week in Oklahoma City it was all about me, this week it was all about my girl Helaine.  She has REALLY come far in her running. Brad took this nice picture of us before the Prairie Fire 1/2 Marathon this last Sunday.  Since I won't be "training" again until June 1st, I want to simply enjoy running for the beauty of it.  It was especially fun to be a spectator and a cheerleader at last Sundays race.  Lisa, Barb, Tameka, Annie and Michelle were all trained and ready for their first half marathon.  I was one of the helpers this past spring with the Start to Finish program that GoRun offers to runner.  I felt like a proud parent as I was going around and taking pictures. It was so much fun to see the excitement of the runners through their eyes.  Look how cute Carrie was before her race! The two Stacie's were ready to go too (did any of you see them on the news, I did!)  Nancy was running her first 1/2 Marathon and so were Monica and Mary Ann.  I had heard on dailymile and facebook many thanks for the support during the race and that for some my running with them just a little bit and/or being "right" in the place they needed support really helped them.  All I can say my runner friends is to return the favor.  Annette N. is one of my biggest cheerleaders and seems to say what I need to hear and when I need to hear it.  Shawndra has paced me in a race and she returned the favor on Sunday to a first time half marathoner.  Sometimes the best place to be is on the sidelines.  After the race officially started I took off in the opposite direction.  I had planned on doing my cheering aka yelling "RUN BITCHES RUN!"  at the 9 mile point.  Why 9 miles?  For me 9 miles in the half was always the hardest part.  So I ran back and forth and eventually joined Barb. Kathy had joined Abi to help run her in.  Now for an ethical question.  Was I a bandit?  Technically no as I did not run the entire course and I did not take any water/gu on the route.  As Barb and I headed to the finish-line I left her to cross the finish-line alone!  Some might feel that I was a bandit but I just felt like I was a coach helping a runner along.  I ask you now all to return the favor.  I am going to start volunteering at races.  I am cutting down to just 4-5 races a year.  I know for sure I will do the Prairie Fire Full Marathon, a fall half marathon (leading up to PF), a spring 1/2 Marathon (Helaine wants to do OKC!) and the East vs. West 5K (Victory in the Valley was so good to my Mom).  I will be volunteering at The South Side Scorcher and other upcoming runs.

Helaine and I before the Prarie Fire Half Marathon.  !

 Lisa, Barb, Tameka, Annie and Michelle before the race

Cute, cute Carrie before the race.

Stacy x 2 before the race

Angie and her husband at mile 9

Nancy before her first 1/2 Marathon

Monica and Mary Ann before the race

Barb and I after the 1/2 Marathon

The beautiful Shawndra running with a friend. 

Annette my hero (in the orange).

Oklahoma City Marathon Report

Weight: 133 after the race!

Miles ran 4/21-27/14 : 31

Miles ran so far in my training: 456.5

Got a great send off from some of my students on the Friday before the race.  Look how cute they decorated my Library Door. 

Arrived in Oklahoma City around noon on Saturday the 26th and went to the expo to pick up my packet.  The expo was HUGE!  At the expo you could sign up to run in the memory of one of the bombing victims. I chose Jamie because she was just two months older than me and she was Catholic.  I felt a connection.  Read more about this amazing woman here.  Walked around a bit in the brick town area which was really neat and we ate lunch at Toby Keith's "I Love This Bar."  The food was good but overpriced in my opinion.

Helaine and her son Sam met Brad and I for 4:00 Mass at The Old Saint Joseph's Cathedral (located across the street from the Murrah building)

It was a beautiful church.  After Mass when went to the "Jesus Wept" monument.

 Brad and I then checked into the Skirvin.  Let's just say 21 year old Natalie got this one wrong.  Very overpriced, no free wi-fi, no free breakfast.  It was a nice room though.  Considering booking now for a cheaper room for next year at another hotel.  After checking in Brad and I found a good BQ place to eat on the River Walk. Before checking into the hotel we found a parking garage where we were $1.00 short.  The attendant at the garage got a $1.00 out of her own pocket and paid it for us.  We were impressed with her kindness and made sure we went back to give her the $1:00 and a bonus for her kindness.  We got to bed and I got up at 4:30 to get ready for the race.  

Met Kathy by "Jesus Wept" at 6:00 an we were excitted to begin the Marathon at 6:30 AM.  Rain and horrible weather delayed the race by almost 2 hours.

 Kathy, I and her family took retreat under a covered garage.  My feet were drenched and most of my pre race fuel had worn off.  I tried to dry out my socks before the race actually began but did not have much luck.  Brad was in the hotel room watching live coverage of the weather and the race and it was within 2 minutes of being completely cancelled.  I was starting to cry and freaking out about the possibility of it being cancelled.  I was an emotional wreck. At 8:20 we got the official word: RACE ON!

 Kathy and I were in corral C in the back and it took us at least 8 minutes to get to the official start. We had a great pace going and at times we lost each other.  I had a great race until the 1/2 Marathoners went another direction and those of us running 26.2 headed into the wind.  

Miles 14-17 were around a lake and it was windy as hell.  I have ran in Kansas wind before but this wind was especially brutal.  Nothing could have prepared me for the hills.  Yes I did do some training runs in Derby and Health Strategies route but these hills were incredible and never ending.  I got to mile 20 and I sobbed.  I was emotionally and physically spent.  It just had to push on.  I found Kathy again around mile 24 and she was just what I needed to get those last 2 miles in.

 

 There was a pack of girls at the finishline and the announcer was announcing names.  No way would he announce my name after all those chicks so your girl NJ decided to run around that pack and beat them at the finish line.  BTW I did get my name and hometown announced. It was great to be done and I saw Brad, Helaine and Sam waiting for me near the finish.  I was emotionally and physically exhausted.  I had to walk almost all the hills after the 14 mile point and that added a bunch of time to my pace.  I crossed the finish line at 5:56 saying NEVER AGAIN!

 After the race I placed the bib on my back on Jamie's chair.  I hope her family gets it and knows how honored I was to run in her memory.

 I probably will change my mind and do another full marathon but this time do it in the fall instead of the spring.  I have learned a lot training for a marathon.  I have learned that I am pretty fit for a 51 year old woman.  It has given me the confidence to maybe try one again.  For the moment it has convinced me that I really do much prefer 13.1 miles.  It is easier to train for and I still think I got a fast half in me.

Is this the end of Library Girl On The Run?  Stay tuned as I plan on continuing my blog and sharing with you my fitness ventures.  A new venture coming up?  Kayaking with my husband Brad.  It is something we are really looking forward too.  And maybe, just maybe getting him to run the couples classic with me this June.  Wouldn't that be romantic?