Two weeks

With two weeks left I am getting very nervous.  I got up way too early this morning (see picture).  My hip was still bothering me so I did not run nearly as long as I should have.  Which, by the way, really sucked because I felt great other than that- plenty of energy.  I am going to take the next few days off from running and see if that makes a difference.  Fingers crossed that it does, otherwise it will be a long and painful 13.1 miles because I do not want to not finish- even if I have to walk the whole way.  So... an advanced sorry to those who said they would be at the finish line should that happen. :)

Running on a runway!

http://runwayrun.com/ for more info

How much fun does that sound like it would be?  I personally think it would be awesome!  One of my coworkers said it sounded like it would be boring with that long, flat, stretch and that she thought it would be depressing to see all of the runners ahead of you.  I laughed at that and said I was used to it.  And I think that after doing a half marathon the weekend before a flat, fast course will be awesome (because, truthfully, it will probably be the first time I run again).  Also, while most courses can be run at anytime, when is the next time you would be able to run down an airport runway- without getting arrested?

Just a little over ten

10.25 if you want to be exact.  Also, the lesson for the week is that carbs are your friends.  I wasn't thinking and ate a salad for dinner, which was yummy and tasty and all that, but was a problem because I don't eat when I first get up so five/six miles in I was done.  I did make myself finish ten although I had to keep pushing myself not to quit.  So my homework for next week is to carb-load  Friday night and complete 13.1  miles Saturday morning.



Ciabatta from Heather’s Artisan Bakery
 photo from free times website 



Music we move to

In preparation for this weekend's half practice I have been putting together my play list.  There were several awesome suggestions to my music question last week and I already have a few of these on my play list and I will be downloading several of the others.  For anyone who may also be looking these were some of the suggestions I got:

Rancid - I wanna riot
Shakira - Objection (tango)
Darude - Sandstorm (yes, the song they play at the football and basketball games)
No Doubt - I'm Just a Girl and Spiderwebs
Golden Earring - Radar Love
Franz Ferdinand - Take me out
Violent Femmes - Gone Daddy Gone
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Cake
Violent Femmes
Beastie Boys
DEE LITE
Freedom by George Michael
Mary J Blige, The One
DJ Khaled, All I Do is Win
Magnificent Tracers, Flagpole Sitta
Michael Jackson, Way You Make Me Feel
Beyonce, Single Ladies
Lady Gaga, Teeth
The Call, Let the Day Begin

And some of the artists already on my list are:
Amy Winehouse
The Animals (1960's, great beats to match your steps to)
Anjulie (the song Boom is awesome)
CCR
the Doors
Franz Ferdinand
the Hives
ABBA
Lady Gaga
Prodigy
Shakira
and the Spice Girls

So what do you think?  Would these get you  moving?  Shockingly Eye of the Tiger wasn't suggested by anyone.  Though, it is played at every starting line so maybe it is 'grandfathered' into the play list  :)

Doctor's Visit

So I went to the doctor today.  It seems like the issue with my hip is just a strained muscle so that is good, all things considered, but I am not a good 'sick' person.  When I am sick I just like to just be sick and then over it, no lingering illnesses for me, and you don't want to be around me when I am sick (beyond obvious the obvious being contagious thing) 'cause truthfully I am kind of a witch or that other word, either apply.  With strains you are supposed to ice it and take ibuprofen and elevate it.  Ibuprofen is not a problem though I really don't like taking medicine.  Icing is an issue because I hate the cold!  Hate it!  And if someone would like to tell me how I am supposed to realistically elevate my hip for an extended period of time?  That would be great.  I tried to go run tonight but I forgot to drug myself and after being poked and prodded and twisted it hurt... A LOT.  I took about three running steps and decided I should walk for awhile to warm up.  So, at .25 miles I started to jog and by .5 miles I was about to bite through my lip with pain.  So back to walking it was.  I got in 2 miles.  And truthfully, I am proud of those two miles because I could have turned around at .25 and .5 but I powered on and got a little exercise in.  The goal for tomorrow is now to remember to take drugs and to try and run a little because this weekend JBB and I going (try) to tackle the preview course for the race and I need to be able to go more than two miles.  Like 11.1 more.

Ray Tanner 12k



My medal and my treat


I finished the 12k yesterday.  It was 7.4 miles of flat road (except for the hills).  I did manage to shave 14 seconds off each mile, but was still firmly in the jogging category.  I did pick up a little treat for myself to celebrate my first 12k, and to help others ;),  as Cupcake is donating $1 for every Cupcake for the Cure cupcake to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  Which was the one I got and hopefully no one will tell the nutritionist on me- she wasn't happy about last week's french toast extravaganza.  The Governor's Cup keeps getting closer and my appointment with the doctor is getting closer as well.  Of course now that I have made the appointment my hip is feeling better- I didn't need the Advil at all this weekend- but it still caught a little yesterday so better to get it checked out than not.  Just three and a half weeks to go.

Music

Time to start thinking about the ipod (because at this point I am not thinking about the doctor's visit).  Anyone have any suggestions for good running music?  If so, please share... cause I have about 3-3.5hours that need to be filled!

Going to the Doctor



BooBoo Bunny (from Bed Bath and Beyond's
website).  Anybody else remember them?



So today I made an appointment to go to see a sports medicine doctor.  My hip has been bothering me for the last couple of weeks and I am going to find out why.  Not when I have been running or anything but after sitting for long periods of time.  Last few weeks you ask?  Why didn't you say anything?  That's what you are probably wondering right now.  Well I didn't say anything because I decided to stick my head in the sand and hope it would go away.  I thought I might have pinched a nerve with my carry-on baggage, but evidently not.  So after talking to a representative for USC's Sports Medicine Clinic he had someone call me and set up an appointment... for next week (and within an hour of speaking to him- he was very quick).  The bright side of this (for me anyway) is that, with the appointment being next week, I will still be running this weekend since a doctor will not have told me to rest it yet... though, truthfully, it would be more accurate to say walking since the word 'jogging' is stretching it right now.  See I have been taking it easy, because even with my head in the sand I didn't want to chance seriously hurting myself. 

One Month



Some of the jack-o-lanterns the girls made Monday night



Just one month to go.  The Governor's Cup is exactly one month away.  This weekend I have the Ray Tanner 12k.  Just went to pick up the packet today and got my bib.  So tonight I just did a short jog, 2.5 miles and tomorrow I will do the same, maybe three (cause I have been terribly lazy this week- though after sitting in on Monday night's Phi Mu meeting I did carry a 15lb jack-o-lantern through the Horseshoe plus a block.  And yes, I did weigh it when I got home :) ). Then the 7.4 (12k) on Saturday and if I can rally myself after that I need to to 1.6 more to stay on/slightly ahead of schedule.  So it is all mapped out I just need to make sure I follow through.

Eight Miles

Today I finished eight miles.  You know what rhymes with eight?  Hate.  I decided that I might secretly hate myself and this self loathing was shown when I signed up to run in the Governor's Cup.  I have payed for the 'privilege' of running 13.1 miles.  It was rough today.  About half a mile in and I was feeling miserable so I knew it would not be a fun run today.  And I was right.  However, I did finish and that makes me happy.  What also made me happy, and that I loved hearing, was when I passed a group on my second four mile lap and one of the girls coming back looked at me and said "you're going again?" with a smile.  That helped some.  Another thing that helped, the Anthony Bourdain lookalike I saw about mile seven.  A total doppelganger!  Walking the trail in the Tony 'uniform' of jeans, black tee, and a open shirt with sunglasses.  I had to really look to make sure it wasn't him (and this was even as I acknowledged that there was no reason for him to be in SC yet- he will be in Charleston on Nov. 12th- much less at Riverfront). Something else I loved today:  my Gamecocks beating Alabama this year and achieving a hat trick for defeating number one teams (basketball, baseball, and now football)!

Yourpaceormine is International!



Picture of the world obviously

So there is this little button I read about on another blog and I figured I would check it out.  Evidently this little blog has been seen by people in the US (duh), Canada, Japan, and Israel.  Random- but awesome!  Hopefully I have not bored them... or you too much with my rambling on about this and that.  Tonight I went to my Thursday night Chose to Lose session, or what I call it "fat people boot camp".  It is an hour of circuit work, then because I didn't run last night I decided to do a little of that as well.  Last night I had family in town and I decided I would much rather go out to dinner with them than run by myself.  So... the run tonight didn't last very long- but I did get a mile in and a mile is better than nothing.  This weekend I am supposed to do eight miles and hopefully I will breeze through them!  Or at least not feel like I am going to pass out.

Six point five and things you don't want to see on a run



Random Photo of an Ambulance



There was an ambulance at the entrance to the park this morning.  My friend Jerry was there and the rumor he heard was that a branch had fallen on a runner.  All I know is that I saw the paramedics with a woman right before mile marker one and it looked like she had done something to her ankle or leg.  So regardless, please send a little thought or prayer to her.  Another thing I knew was that I needed to run.  I was shooting for seven with a caveat to myself that I can do no less than five.  And I was tired and cranky and so forth so, knowing myself I built the extra mileage into the 5 mile course.  I made myself turn around at the 1/4miles that were marked and run a little loop (I would go from 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 then run back to 1 1/4 and back to 1 1/5 before continuing on the run).  I sometimes have to play these games with myself because if I run the trail and back and then still have more I need to run the odds of my going back out decrease significantly.  So at the end of the day I got my run in and continue on with my training to reach my goal of running in the half.